From the opening bounce, this was always going to be a season unlike any other. Except, of course, there will be no opening bounce. When Sydney host Carlton at the SCG on Thursday night to kick off the 2026 AFL campaign, an umpire will throw the ball skyward at centre square for the first time in the competition's history, and a tradition stretching back to 1887 will be gone for good.
The AFL announced in October 2025 that the substitute rule would be removed in favour of a five-player interchange bench, and that the ball would no longer be bounced at the start of quarters and after goals. The removal of the centre bounce ended a custom dating back to 1887, with AFL executive general manager of football performance Greg Swann explaining that mastering the bounce was hindering the development of umpires. The rule change also brings the men's game into line with the AFLW, where the ball has been thrown up rather than bounced since the women's competition launched in 2017.
The AFL's own data revealed that only 21 per cent of centre bounces in 2025 had at least one ruck jumping at the contest. In 2023, that figure stood at 63 per cent. That collapse in competitive engagement made the case for change hard to argue against. Several of the game's top rucks, including Melbourne captain Max Gawn and Adelaide's Reilly O'Brien, have warned fans to expect more free kicks to be paid in ruck contests as players adjust to new rules designed to encourage jumping rather than wrestling.
The removal of the substitute means clubs will name 23 players, with five on the interchange bench. A long list of coaches voiced their disapproval of the substitute rule through 2025, including Geelong's Chris Scott, who was among the most vocal. The change restores a simpler, cleaner bench arrangement and removes the tactical brinkmanship that often saw teams delay calling on their substitute until deep into the third quarter.
Seven additional rule changes designed to reduce match length by approximately three minutes will also debut this season, including a last-disposal rule, new centre ball-up contest laws, and stronger enforcement of the protected area around marks and free kicks. Players will have a reduced window to bring the ball back into play after a behind, dropping from 12 seconds to eight.
The wildcard question
The biggest structural shift, though, is one that has nothing to do with on-field rules. The AFL has introduced a wildcard finals round, adding an extra week to the finals series and increasing the number of finalists from eight to ten. At the end of the home-and-away season, seventh will host tenth and eighth will host ninth in wildcard games, before the remainder of the series continues under the previous final-eight system. It is the first change to the AFL finals system since 2000.
From 2026 onwards, the top six on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season will move straight through to finals, while the teams finishing seventh to tenth play off for the last two spots in September. The teams that finish in the top six will have a week off ahead of the first full week of finals, when the top eight will play off in the normal finals system. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon has framed it as an extension of hope, arguing that "our fans love finals games" and that fans also love games of consequence, noting those matches are the best-attended and most-watched on television.
The response from supporters, however, has been sharply divided. The AFL Fans Association called on the AFL Commission to review the decision, pointing to their own 2025 survey showing 77 per cent of fans did not support the wildcard concept. AFLFA president Ron Issko said fans were not opposed to innovation but that the proposal raised genuine questions about fairness, with supporters arguing it rewards mediocrity and undermines the integrity of the home-and-away season.
The commercial logic behind the change is not difficult to read. Sports rights analyst Colin Smith explained that the league was protecting the value of its current $4.5 billion broadcast rights deal by implementing the new system, with more finalists meaning fewer dead-rubber matches late in the home-and-away season. The AFL Players Association CEO James Gallagher backed the introduction of additional finals, noting that players would share in the commercial benefits through their revenue-share agreement with the AFL.
Dillon's counter to the mediocrity argument is worth considering on its own terms. "I don't think it rewards mediocrity," he said. "It makes that gap between sixth and seventh something clubs will strive for." The move came after one of the tightest fights for a finals berth in recent AFL history, with the Western Bulldogs boasting the best season ever recorded by a ninth-placed team. Had the wildcard round been in place in 2025, Gold Coast would have hosted Sydney and Hawthorn would have faced the Bulldogs.
What it means for Queensland clubs
For Queensland fans, the implications are real. The campaign begins with Opening Round, featuring five matches across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria from 5 to 8 March. The Brisbane Lions, defending premiers, open their title defence against the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba on Friday night. The Gold Coast Suns, who would have entered a wildcard game as seventh seed had the format existed last year, now have a genuine safety net if they wobble in the final rounds.
Whether this season's reforms represent bold modernisation or commercial tinkering dressed up as progress depends largely on where you sit. By 2000, the competition had expanded to 16 clubs and adopted the final-eight format. Now, with 18 teams and Tasmania's entry on the horizon, the league is larger and more competitive than ever. That context matters. The AFL has never been a static product; the history of the game is a history of adaptation.
The challenge for the competition's administrators is to ensure structural changes genuinely serve the game rather than simply serving the balance sheet. The rule changes targeting game length and ruck contest quality reflect genuine consultation with clubs, umpires, and the players' association, and that collaborative process lends them credibility. The wildcard round, by contrast, was pushed through against a majority of fans' expressed wishes, even if the underlying commercial rationale has some logical merit.
Come Thursday night at the SCG, none of that debate will matter much. The umpire will raise the ball above their head, the crowd will lean forward, and another season will begin. The game, for all its new shapes and systems, remains the game. That, at least, has not changed.